Reno County commissioners decline county funding for countywide house‑painting program

Clint Nelson, CEO of Interfaith Housing, asked the Board of County Commissioners to continue county support for Brush Up Reno, a house‑painting program that has provided credits for paint and outreach to rural property owners.

Nelson described the program as a countywide expansion of a Hutchinson initiative, saying it has delivered roughly $125,000 in investment to rural residents over the last two years and offers homeowners a credit “up to $1,500” at a local Sherwin‑Williams store. He said the program intentionally uses low‑barrier eligibility checks — a property‑value question and property‑tax compliance — instead of full household income verification to reduce administrative burdens and speed participation.

Why it matters: Commissioners debated whether ongoing county funds should support what Nelson said was originally paid for with ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) micro‑project dollars. Those micro projects included small, quick investments (Nelson said the micro‑project threshold had been about $2,500 per project) and provided funds for ramps, emergency repairs and brush up work. Several commissioners said ARPA was intended as a one‑time infusion and urged cities that benefit from the program to provide local funding if they want it to continue countywide.

Commission discussion and outcome: Commissioners raised concerns about asking county taxpayers to sustain a program many cities could fund locally. Commissioner Hurst noted the county had told jurisdictions ARPA dollars were one‑time funds and said local buy‑in would be appropriate; other commissioners echoed that view. After discussion a motion to deny approving the agreement to provide county funding to Interfaith Housing for Brush Up Reno was made, seconded and carried. The roll call recorded five “yes” votes and no recorded “no” votes.

Program details and next steps: Nelson said Interfaith Housing used ARPA micro‑project funding to pilot and operate the program and that actual Brush Up Reno expenditures were about $66,000 in 2023 and about $59,000 in 2024. He asked commissioners to consider alternative funding routes, including asking individual rural cities to participate as Hutchinson has. Commissioners suggested Interfaith meet with city officials to seek local contributions and noted the county and city staff will continue conversations on possible future collaboration.

Ending: With the denial vote, the county will not provide the requested county allocation at this meeting. Interfaith Housing said it will be available to advise cities and to continue outreach to municipal partners seeking local funding or other support.